The
outpost of the Philippines in the middle of a turbulent sea, Batanes
province comprises the northernmost isles of the Philippines. The island
of Y'ami is only 224 kilometers from Taiwan. The Balintang Channel,
where the Pacific Ocean and China Sea meet, separates the islands from
the rest of Luzon. The three major islands of Itbayat, Sabtang and Batan,
are the only inhabited islands of the small archipelago. About half of
its area is hilly and mountainous. Typhoons on a northwesterly path
regularly sweep through the islands from July to October although
rainfall is heaviest from August to November. Batanes, as a whole,
enjoys a pleasantly cooler climate because of its greater distance from
the equator. From December until February, temperatures may dip as low
as 7 degrees Celsius.

History

The Ivatans lived
in relatively well-populated settlements at the time western travelers visited
the islands. William Dampier, an English buccaneer, visited Batanes in 1687 and
found the people organized into communities built around protected settlements
called idjangs, which were usually defensive positions on top of steep
hills.

The Dominican
friars attempted to Christianize the Ivatans as early as 1686 but the efforts
were abandoned with the death of two resident missionaries. In 1718,
missionaries made another attempt to bring the people of Batanes under the
Cross. Missions directed from the island of Calayan in the Babuyan Group were
sent to Batanes to urge the residents to resettle in the Babuyanes.

It was to the
credit of Governor Jose Basco y Vargas that the islands were finally brought
under the Spanish Crown in 1782. Batanes was annexed to the colony the following
year but the inhabitants remained unreconciled to their loss of liberty. The
islands were constituted into a separate province but it was later downgraded to
the status of a town and attached to the province of Cagayan. The islands
regained the status as a province in 1855 but was again reduced to a dependency
of Cagayan in 1900 when the Americans took control of the islands. In 1909, by
virtue of Act 1952, Batanes was again established as a separate province.

Because of its
strategic location, the Batanes was one of the first points of attack by the
invading Japanese forces at the start of the Pacific hostilities of the Second
World War. During the 1950s and 1960s the Philippine government encouraged the
Ivatans to resettle in other parts of the country. As a result of that program,
Ivatan communites were established in Mindanao.

People, Culture
and the Arts

Batanes, is the
home of theIvatans, a sturdy, self-sufficient people with a very strong
sense of community. These people trace their roots to prehistoric Formosan
seafarers that migrated or were driven to the islands. The Ivatans are closely
related to the ancient people of Formosa and their languages, Ivatan and
Ichbayaten, can be understood across the Bashi Channel. Filipino and English,
however, are widely spoken and understood by all peoples of Batanes.

The culture, the
architecture, the maritime technology, and agriculture are adapted to the
weather of the islands. The Ivatan houses are built with thick walls of stone
and lime and thatched with thick layers of cogon. Sturdier sea boats called faluas
serve as the main mode of transport between islands. The fields are often hedged
with trees that break the wind’s full fury and allow rootcrops to grow. The
entire Ivatan culture is built on self-sufficiency, hence, there is no need for
markets.

Having long been
isolated from the main body of the Philippines, the Ivatan culture is
distinctively rich in indigenous traditions. The wealth of Ivatan oral
traditions from the sisyavak (humorous anecdotes and tales) and kabbata
(legends) to the kabbuni (riddles) and pananaban (proverbs)
has only recently been brought to the attention of anthropologists.

The lyric song laji
is their most precious traditional literary form and sung without accompaniment
during important and happy occasions. Lyrics of the laji are considered
the best Ivatan folk poetry. The kalusan are working songs sung
collectively by the people of Batanes. These are sung by the Ivatans as they
work in the fields, row or cut timber. A vachi (or song leader) starts
the singing with the prefatory lines and workers follow with the rest of the
song.

The entire
archipelago is a living museum in which to savor the unique culture of the
Ivatans. Among the oldest structures in the islands are the whitewashed, low,
well-proportioned churches, one of which is present in every town. There are
also the ruins of Songsong—a "ghost" barangay of roofless stone
houses abandoned after it was hit by tidal waves in the 1950s; and the
prehistoric Burial Caves of Itbayat, where the remains of the dead were placed
in clay jars and left in the caves.

Trade and
Investments

Isolated from
mainland Philippines by inclement weather and rough seas, Batanes offers
excellent opportunities for investments in tourism and marine resource
management. The island province lies along sea lanes between the Philippines and
the major economies of East Asia. It is the smallest province in terms of land
area. Much of the 209 square kilometers of land is rolling, making it ideal for
livestock raising, and cultivation of garlic and rootcrops. The waters around
Batanes are very rich in mackerel, yellow fin tuna, dorado, grouper, giant sea
snail, sea urchin, lobsters and many fish varieties. Batanes has one of the
highest literacy rates in the country and its labor force of close to 10,000 is
highly-skilled, highly-trained and hardworking.

Access to the
islands is limited and mostly irregular. There are two airstrips in the
province; the domestic airport in Basco, and another airstrip for light aircraft
in Itbayat. There is, at present, only one regular passenger airline making
regular weekly flights to Basco from Laoag, although chartered planes provide
additional access. There are five seaports that connect the islands to the
mainland, the largest of which is the Basco seaport. Chartered sea crafts from
Aparri and Manila facilitate the movement of goods and supplies to and from the
province. Smaller sea crafts ply the main routes between Batan and the islands
of Sabtang and Itbayat. All air and seaborne transportation is possible only in
good weather. The main road network around the island of Batan is in good
condition. The Batanes Electric Cooperative provides 12 hours of electric
service on the island of Batan while the National Power Corporation provides
three hours of electricity to Sabtang and Itbayat.. Water is provided by springs
in the forested hills and mountains of the islands. Communications with the rest
of the Philippines is provided mainly by PILTEL, which has opened four calling
stations in the province.

Eco-tourism and
cultural tourism provide the most viable opportunities for investments. The
gently rolling hills, sandy and stony beaches, unique ecosystems, distinctive
culture, hospitable people, and cool climate provide a thoroughly different
atmosphere for both local and international tourists. Additional transportation
facilities, such as air connections and better inter-island ferry links and
improved lodging facilities and support services, such as restaurants and
souvenir shops, are areas of opportunity.

Blessed with an
expanse of seas surrounding the province, fishing beckons as another potentially
rewarding endeavor. Improving current port facilities from fair weather to an
all weather type and providing the port with fish storage facilities will vastly
facilitate the establishment of commercial fishing.